sign, sign, everwherea sign

[ladibugg]

Is it good business to leave a sign in or near a yard you have a contract on, much like the building trades do? Should there be any kind of pay off to be able to leave a sign? Is there anyone who actually has it in the fine print of there contract...the right to advertise shall be ...or something like that? How about ten days per year a sign stays in the yard? Am I out of line thinking that because other contracters get away with it, we should too? Most of my customers seem willing to help me expand my market share, I just don't know how far they will go.

[walker-talker]

If I intalled a new lawn and landscape, I would consider it. I don't think I would otherwise. Just my .02

MATT

[Turfdude]

We only install small site signs if client okays them and we only leave them on site for approx 2 weeks. We have one for installations and a second for maintenance programs. The latter is used more in early spring after mulching high visibility jobs, or if we're doing larger turf renovations in the fall.

Don't expect a lot of calls right away, but it puts your co's name in the public's head.

Bob

[rodney]

i would like to get some of the small sighns like the ones that you see that advertise there security system . you could put them in there mail box bed and any one driving or walking would notice it.
but the big sighns like realitors use is over kill and wouldnt look right in in any subdivision lawns.
i would think that all customers wouldnt mind the small ones . but even i wouldnt want the big one in my yard.

[Ric]

Yes on landscape installes a job sign is a must. In my area most hoods are deed restricked so no signs are allowed to stay after job is done. Only while work is being done. We have a small real estate 4 sale size sign that goes with us from job to job. It cost about $ 50 and has paid for its self many times over. Saturday I took delivery on a new Hualmark Kodia LS 7 x18 After the rhino liner is sprayed in on floor on Wednesday it will go to sign shop all 4 side. It will be a rolling billboard. The more you tell the more you sell.

ps. the pinto pulls fine :D

[SLS]

I service a very pretty lawn (residential) that is on a busy street and the owner suggested that I put a sign there. I put up a small 'real estate' sized sign that featured my logo and telephone number and lo and behold I got several calls from it. Afyer separating the 'weed from the chaff' I got about 5 new "keeper" clients from that sign...before it was stolen. :rolleyes:

As the other signs (home for sale, home improvments, weight loss programs, ect) in the area were untouched I wonder if another LCO did it. <grrrr!>

I need to have some more signs made up. :D

[PAPS]

Like TURFDUDE says, we only leave signs at jobs while we are working (if a decent project) and only leave them there like maybe 2 weeks after the job is complete. I don't expect a lot of calls from it, but it gets your name out there..

[Hobart]

...blocking up the scenery breaking my mind?

[hollywood]

we leave signs only on installs, only while we are working at that particular site and only with client permission. dont know if it helps much though, most of our work comes from word of mouth referrals from previous or current clients. sometimes a satisfied cutomer telling a friend is all it takes to get some decent work coming in.

[beck]

Hopefully we all get customers like my neighbor. She had all of her windows replaced during the summer and she still has that sign out in her yard. I am planning on making some signs up this year for landscape installs, and maybe put a few at high traffic residential.

[Runner]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Hobart
[B]...blocking up the scenery breaking my mind?
Do this. Don't do that. Can't you read the sign? :D

[ladibugg]

Yoa all are too cool. My favorite is "the more you tell, the more you sell". Being organic minded I don't want to clutter my world with signs, but I have to find a compromise to advertise. If the client doesn't know you sell it, they are not going to buy it from you. So...this year I will approach a few good people about signs. Thanks for the imput.
ladybug

[stslawncare]

i would do it if its a big instal or major landscape job. good advertising, anything to get ur name out

[Randy Scott]

No real response here except does everyone (like I do) read this thread title and sing these words in their head that the Black Crowes have in that song of theirs? Signs, signs, everywhere signs!:eek:

[proline32]

I don't use yard signage, however My truck is a great rolling sign.... I also once in a while go to neighborhoods and put my business cards on doors and I do get some jobs that way. Last week I caught some guys taking my business cards off of doors I just had done. They were scrubs, Because I asked them what thier business name was and they said they didn't have one. So I informed them that I was going to report them to the dept of revenue if they kept pulling my cards.

[Heavenly Green]

I had 2 nice yard signs made for $45. customers gave me permision to place signs for a week at a time after the first week I went to get the signs to place on 2 other yards. And they were both gone. I feel it was another company in this sub that doesnt want me taking there customers. I wont be using lawn signs anymore too expensive.

Steve @ S&S Heavenly Green Lawns:mad:

[Runner]

Originally posted by Randy Scott
No real response here except does everyone (like I do) read this thread title and sing these words in their head that the Black Crowes have in that song of theirs? Signs, signs, everywhere signs!:eek:

Actually, (not to be way off of the original subject, or anything,but) the original version of this song was WAY before the Black Crowes, it was about 1969, I think. Oh oh, am I showing my age? :D

[JimLewis]

Ok. This has been a well kept secret of mine for years. Since you asked, I'll let it out of the bag a little.

One of our best marketing tools are yard signs. We have little 10" x 10" yard signs like the one pictured below. They read, "maintained by Lewis Landscape Services" and then have our phone number. They are red, to match our truck, uniforms, cards, etc. And they have our logo on them.

The picture here is an old one. We still use the same signs but we don't use wooden stakes any more (in leiu of professional wire stakes) and we also don't put them right in the front part of the lawn. Now, we usually put them in a highly visable place near the sidewalk, but in a corner, out of the way. The signs we use now are also 2 sided, so we place them so you can read it coming from either direction.

We have probably 25-50 of these out year-round in yards we maintain in high traffic areas. People drive by, walk by with their dog, etc. and eventually when they see enough of them in one neighborhood, they call. They're one of the best investments I ever made.

As to how I get my customers to allow me to place them in their yards, I am not going to give that secret out in an open forum ever. Sorry. That's the hard part. But when you can get them to allow you to do this, it's solid gold.

I'll try to get some newer, better pictures posted for examples.

[JimLewis]

I should add that we also place much larger signs in the yards for a few weeks when we do installs and such. Have had one up for 5+ weeks now at a home we did an irrigation install for in January. He loved the job and asked for a sign. Has had it up every day since.

[LAWNGODFATHER]

Originally posted by rodney
i would like to get some of the small sighns like the ones that you see that advertise there security system . you could put them in there mail box bed and any one driving or walking would notice it.

Speeking of mailboxes, any one remember this thread about signs.

http://www.lawnsite.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=20324&highlight=sign

[TLS]

Wow, cant believe that nobody picked up on the misinformation here (music wise).

Original song: Signs: Five Man Electrical Band - Good Byes & Betterflies circa 1970

ReMade song: Signs: Tesla - Five Man Acoustical Jam Circa 1990 Recorded Live at the Trocadero in Philly

I was a pretty big Tesla Fan in the 90's seen them 4 times with the last being in a small bar in Lancaster PA (The Village). Afterwards we got to sit at the bar with them. I was standing right behind Franky Hannon. He even bought our group a round of beers!

Oh well, just wanted to correct this.....Back to Lawn stuff.

Landscape installations, Sign, YES. Just mulching or mowing, Sign, NO.